Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Arthur Edwin Roberts Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Cold War; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Air Force
- Unit of Service: 6594th Test Squadron; 9th Strategic Wing; 460th Reconnaissance Technician Squadron; 193rd Special Operations Group, Pennsylvania Air National Guard
- Location of Service: Pennsylvania; Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado; Japan; Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts; Vietnam; Beale Air Force Base, California
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/79394
After being turned down by the Army because he was color blind, Staff Sergeant Arthur E. Roberts enlisted in the Air Force--only to find that many options for specialized service were still out of bounds. Fortunately, in what he describes as a "fairy godmother moment," he was able to train in photography, as it was nearly all done in black and white. This specialty would guide his future career: after spending two years in Japan, he served at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts, working twelve-hour shifts in a top secret environment developing film from Corona spy satellites. Transferring to Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam, he served with a photo reconnaissance unit, processing intelligence photos of North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayAttempted to enlist in the Army; rejected because he was color blind; enlisting in the Air Force; choosing photography as a specialty. 00:01:17.9 - 00:05:00.5
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PlayDeployment to Misawa, Japan; working a the base photo lab; taking pictures of anything and everything happening on base. 00:06:34.0 - 00:08:01.9
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PlayReceiving assignment to work at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, MA; spending four years there; working on an extremely secret operation; developing satellite photos. 00:15:08.9 - 00:18:54.6
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PlayExperiences working in a top-secret environment. 00:25:52.0 - 00:27:44.6
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PlayArrival in Vietnam; first night spent in Saigon; running into a high school classmate in the middle of the night. 00:30:28.2 - 00:34:20.7
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PlayWorking on a photo recon operation; working out of trailers; extensive massive amounts of film. 00:37:20.3 - 00:38:58.5
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PlayExperience with ham radio; working in TV production work in Vietnam; meeting radio and TV celebrities such as Pat Sajak and Adrian Cronauer; seeing USO shows. 00:49:27.8 - 00:54:51.6
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PlayKeeping in touch with family; sometimes communicating with his wife via radio. 01:07:02.0 - 01:10:40.0
More Resources
About this Item
Title
- Arthur Edwin Roberts Collection
Names
- Central Connecticut State University
- Roberts, Arthur Edwin
- McGuckin, Briana
- Rogers, Owen
Home State
- Connecticut
Headings
- - Roberts, Arthur Edwin
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Air Force.
- - Cold War -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Air Force.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Air Force
- Unit of Service: 6594th Test Squadron; 9th Strategic Wing; 460th Reconnaissance Technician Squadron
- Location of Service: Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado; Japan; Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts; Vietnam; Beale Air Force Base, California
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1961-1971
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: While in Vietnam the veteran met Pat Sajak, a young Army disc jockey who would go on to host the TV show "Wheel of Fortune."
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Cold War
- Branch of Service: Air Force
- Unit of Service: 193rd Special Operations Group, Pennsylvania Air National Guard
- Location of Service: Pennsylvania
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1969-1972
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2011-07-14)
- Photograph: Digital print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1965-2011)
- Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [9 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1965-1988)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2012-10-12)
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2011-07-14; 2011-07-18)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/79394
Cite as
- Arthur Edwin Roberts Collection (AFC/2001/001/79394), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Beale Air Force Base, California
- Japan
- Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado
- Pennsylvania
- Vietnam
- Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts
Service Unit
- 193rd Special Operations Group
- 460th Reconnaissance Technician Squadron
- 6594th Test Squadron
- 9th Strategic Wing
- Pennsylvania Air National Guard